"Wrap Around Winfield" is the cover mural of a self-guided tourguide of 15 sets of spectacular murals painted on the outside of buildings and in the bank mezzanine and high school gymnasium. It is not likely you will ever see the quantity and quality of both exterior and interior art as it is displayed in this southcentral Kansas town. The full color tour guide booklet devotes a full page to each mural with an explanation of it production, location, and the artist's name.
"Wrap Around Winfield"(above) was created by artist, Marjorie Hall Bicker with assistance from Claudia Lawson.
Location: 208 E. 5th Avenue, Joe's Carpet Warehouse
The old station master's house which is next to the warehouse was the River's Edge Gift Shop. It became the inspiration for the mural. The original thought was to make the warehouse "disappear." First, a working model was constructed and presented to Floid McCord, the owner, for his approval and input. The mural was then begun in June of 1997 and completed in August of 1998. Well over 14,000 square feet is covered by this mural. Marjorie was joined by Claudia, who painted many of the animals. Several school children were also able to lend their hand on the mural. To add a special feature, Floid's grandchildren, horses, and dogs were included in the mural. If you look closely, you will see the train enter on the west, travel "through" the building, and exit on the east near the water tower and tracks that Floid added for realism. There's even smoke coming out. Several local merchants also became involved in the project by having their "stores" painted on the mural. The warehouse disappeared into a colorful Winfield mural.
"English Cottage"
Artist: Marjorie Hall Bicker
Location: North Main Street, Island Park
The Island Park Restrooms (aka English Cottage) were sponsored by the Winfield Soroptomist Club. The building was painted during the fall of 1998. Some of the ideas for the paintings came from passers by. When a young boy stopped to watch the artist paint the pie in the window, he suggested it should be blueberry, and so it is! The paint used was Porter acrylic latex house paint and should last 15 years or more. This is an ongoing project as more flowers "grow" and animals "arrive." - Looks can be deceiving - the only real thing is the white door with no windows.
"Toto's"
Artist: Elizabeth Boyd Vaughn with assistance from Megan Bender
Location 314 West 8th Ave., Toto's Supper Club
The Supper Club was painted in 1995. Marna Finney commissioned Elizabeth to paint the scene of The Wizard of Oz. The Finneys have traveled a great deal; and when people found out they were from Kansas, they would always ask, "Isn't that where Toto lives?" So when they settled in Winfield and decided to open the supper club, Marna decided the name had to be Toto's for that reason. And the painting began.
"Comet Coca Cola"
Artist: Marjorie Hall Bicker
Location: 221 E. 9th
This mural was financed by Winfield Coca-Cola Bottlers and Felts Oil. The filling station in the mural is a "portrait" of the original Phillips 66 Station located on that corner until the 1950s. The Coca-Cola disks date from early in the 1900s. Because the wall was rough limestone, all the detail work and figures are actually modeled in bas-relief. The modeling is done with a polymer-modified cement designed to repair bridge abutments. Most of the work on the mural was done between midnight and 6:00 a.m. to avoid the heat and wind.
"The Barn"
Artist: Eddy Poindexter
Location: 1925 E. 9th
Lumbert's Auto Sales and Services (inside)
This mural was painted on the walls when the business was the "Country Barn Cafe." The building itself was built in 1987 as a rodeo arena and used as such, but there was only a snack bar in the arena. Lois Henderson wanted to build a cafe for the rodeo, so in 1994 Jacob Henderson built the cafe. Because she named it the "Country Barn," she wanted a scene of a working barn to be painted using that theme; so she hired Eddie Poindexter to decorate her cafe.
"Vikings"
Artists: Ed Palubinskas and Gene Garbowski|
Location" 300 Viking Blvd., Winfield High School Gymnasium
The murals were commissioned by the school district to update the mascots for the school. They were painted in the summer of 1999. - Vikings and Lady Vikings
